


Ranunculus - Florist AU

by meliaantiqua



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Florist AU, Florists, Fluff, Multi, Mutual Pining, No Spoilers, No beta we die like Zanza, Pre-Relationship, for once, hooo boy, ill add more tags as I go, melifiora, oblivious idiots, shalvis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24812653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meliaantiqua/pseuds/meliaantiqua
Summary: The siblings who run Antiqua Florist, their permanent uninvited guest Alvis, and far more feelings than should ever be provoked in a flower shop.
Relationships: Alvis/Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles), Fiora & Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles), Melia Ancient | Melia Antiqua & Alvis, Melia Ancient | Melia Antiqua & Kallian, Melia Ancient | Melia Antiqua/Fiora
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	Ranunculus - Florist AU

**Author's Note:**

> ok...here we go. my first chaptered fic. not beta read by anyone but me, as usual.

The clear chiming of the bell above the door, the soft rustle of leaves and flower petals, and the slight echo of footsteps along the stone tiles were all sounds Melia Antiqua was more than accustomed to. 

She had only recently taken up a real, official job at Antiqua Florist, since her father Sorean’s arthritis had spread to his hands and left him unable to arrange the flowers without substantial pain shooting down his body. It was something she was more than happy to do, having spent many weekends and school holidays sat in the back room of the small store, surrounded by bright roses and daisies and every other kind of flower she hadn’t known. The florist was technically her older brother Kallian’s. As far as the paperwork went, anyway; in truth, the two of them were just both looking for jobs at the same time, Melia after realising college was too stressful for her and Kallian with a degree he didn’t have an immediate use for, and it was easier for everyone involved for them to split the earnings as equal wages, even if (much to her chagrin) Kallian’s work hours consisted mostly of talking to Alvis. 

Alvis didn’t even work there, first off, and not even on a paperwork-only basis like Kallian. The siblings were the only actual employees; Kallian and Alvis had met sometime in high school and had been joined at the hip ever since. Melia got along with Alvis very well, yes, but she was also adjusting to feeling like she had twin brothers. The silver-haired man was in his last year of university, but you’d never know it since Melia had never seen him doing work in his life. Most of his time was spent perched on the florists’ desktop, legs crossed and listening intently to everything going on around him. He was rather like a cat, she realised one day, a stray that wasn’t theirs but hung around regardless, and Kallian and herself just let him gradually move in. 

This train of thought turned out to be more entertaining than she’d expected. Simple things seemed far funnier than they should’ve been when your only interactions consisted of the occasional elderly man wandering in looking incredibly frail (“Like he’s just been dug up, Jesus,” “ _Alvis!_ ”) asking for the usual wedding anniversary bouquet because his wife is wonderful, they’ve been married for 40 years, so can you please use flowers that symbolise love, young lady? Melia had heard the same speeches over and over and over again, so she allowed herself the amusement of thinking of her best friend as a cat from now on. The same best friend who was currently sitting on her to-do list, god _damn it._ Her comparison really was spot on. She had half a mind to shout Kallian and ask him if he’d considered taking cats for walks as a progression from his animal care degree when the tiny bell over the door chimed, alerting her to their next customer. 

Absentmindedly sitting up straighter, ideally looking as though she wasn’t a long-suffering college dropout with no real direction in life and only an inherited talent for flower arranging to her name, Melia turned herself towards the door.

The first thing she noticed was that there wasn’t just one person in the doorway, and that both of them were notably younger than their usual clientele of long-term customers who kept coming back over the years. No, these people, a boy and a girl, couldn’t have been any older than 20. They were both ash blonde, the boy standing slightly taller with dark blue eyes, the girls’ a lighter emerald. No, Melia hadn’t gained supernaturally good eyesight overnight, the rooftop windows let in the evening winter sun and bathed everything in the florists’ in a warm golden glow, emphasising every little detail within. Which, unfortunately, wasn’t doing her heart any favours, since locking eyes with the pair had caused it to jump erratically in her chest. Well, _that_ was new. But no _, business first, heart palpitation WebMD site later._

  
“Welcome to Antiqua Florists! Feel free to look around and let us know if you need any assistance.” Kallian had emerged from the back room at some point, dirt stains on his work apron and slightly muddy hands suggesting he’d been in a rush to get to the front. A stroke of luck, really, since Melia had an unfortunate habit of stumbling over words when she was nervous, and her heart wasn’t doing much to help out; her brothers’ older sibling instincts saved the day yet again. 

“Ah, thank you. I’ll, uhm, look around first,” The boy was the first to speak, and Melia felt slightly less awful about being a nervous wreck in her own shop, because he was visibly anxious, hands twisting around each other subconsciously. The girl rested a hand on his forearm, pushing gently toward the shelves of display arrangements. 

“ _She’s eyeing the sympathy bouquets,_ ” A soft voice said in her ear, and she’d been so caught up in blatantly staring at the duo she hadn’t even noticed Alvis hop off the counter and come to stand right behind her, long hair just brushing against her shoulder. “ _I’ll get Kallian to prune the lilies._ ” Definitely quiet and just on this side of unsettling enough to be a cat. Melia hummed softly in response, seemingly unable to look away. Oh, this was definitely how Antiqua’s reputation was going to plummet. From dignified, experienced and kind married couple providing service with a smile to nosey flower arranging daughter, back-room hermit son and the odd long haired boy who didn’t even work there but seemingly did more work than either of the siblings. 

“...Think those would look nice, Shulk, they’re very bright and pretty, I think my brother said something about them meaning sympathy once…” The girls’ louder voice carried across the small store to the desk Melia was still sat at, and she realised she still hadn’t moved a muscle since the door opened. She stood up off the small stool and manoeuvred past Alvis to stand by Kallian and at least try to be professional. Her brother didn't know much about flower arrangement or meaning, and if they requested a custom-made order it’d be her doing it. Better to conquer her social anxiety sooner rather than later, since she’d be taking their order at some point. She just wished small talk wasn’t so difficult. The girl turned towards Melia as she approached the other end of the florist, and _oh god why was she staring at her like that had she left the pen behind her ear did she have soil on her face-_

“Hi! I almost didn’t see you back there! These flowers are _so_ pretty, wow! Do you arrange them? Actually, I shouldn’t assume, sorry, maybe the other guy does? Is he your brother? He looks a lot like you! And the person on the desk? Oh, are you all siblings? That’s so cool, I wish me and my brother could coordinate like that, and-” her enthusiastic rambling had Melia completely stricken, not expecting such a soft-appearing woman to be able to completely talk her ear off. Not that that was a problem, since there clearly wasn’t any need for forced small talk. If anything, it was endearing, watching her ramble on about their flowers, and definitely an appreciated change of pace compared to regular customers.

“...Fiora, you’re rambling a little.” The boy spoke again; Shulk, according to the conversation she had not been eavesdropping on. And the girl was Fiora, “Oh! I’m sorry, I always talk too much, don’t I? Heh... Anyway, I’m Fiora, this is Shulk, since he won’t introduce himself-” an elbow to her side from said boy, “-since he’s too much of a worrywart to introduce himself in case he forgets his own name.” 

“I’m Melia, the one standing like a normal person is my elder brother Kallian. We both work here, and the boy on the desk is Alvis. He...doesn’t work here, we just can’t get him to leave,” That got a laugh out of both their customers, and an affronted noise from behind her, “What is it you’re looking for, exactly?” Fiora went quiet this time, letting Shulk speak instead, “It’s, ah, the anniversary of my parents’ passing, so I’d like to get something to honour them, like for their graves.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Oh, thank god Kallian was there, he was always better at showing empathy, even though they both felt it, “Do you have anything in mind? We do custom bouquets as well as recreations of any you see on display.” 

“Not really, sorry, my uncle usually buys the flowers but things aren’t exactly great between us at the moment, so…” Fiora gently placed her hand over Shulk’s, and Melia noticed he was shaking slightly. 

“No worries. You can pick from any of the Condolences bouquets or Melia and I can custom-design one with flowers of a similar meaning,” _Melia and I? Those designs were all her work, thank you very much._ “I think that’d be nice, yeah. Thank you.” 

“Of course,” Melia jumped back into the conversation then, “If you come over to the desk, I can run you through some options.” She turned back towards the counter, silently thanking Alvis for actually moving to sit in the far corner on the floor. Two sets of footsteps followed her, and Shulk and Fiora took the customer stools opposite her. Another silent thanks to Alvis for demanding they bought more seats. She grabbed her notebook and pen from their holders, and flipped to the page hand-titled _Customs_.

“Alright, I’d recommend a basket for on a grave, and the most well-known flowers for loss are lilies, for purity and grace in passing, the gladioli, for strength and sincerity, pink carnations for remembrance and orchids for love even after death,” Melia was back in her comfort zone when talking about flowers, something she’d been passionate about right from childhood, when her brother had been falling asleep listening to her talk to her father for hours about his shops’ latest works. There was a reason she was in charge of arranging, and speaking of, Shulk’s soft voice cut off her train of thought. 

“That sounds perfect. Thank you, Melia.” She nodded gently, suddenly reminded of the time she’d tried to take in a stray cat and couldn’t make any swift movements. 

“Oh, that sounds wonderful! You really know what you’re talking about, Melia! I’m going to come back here for every occasion now!” Fiora responded with a smile, and Melia felt her face flush. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but-” 

“You haven’t even seen her work yet,” Alvis chimed in, amusement in his tone. 

“Well, I’ve seen everything around here, haven’t I? It’s not like _you’ve_ been working since we got here!” Was Fiora _blushing_? Having known Alvis for a long while now, she was more than used to listening to their mutual friends talk about the silver-haired boy with a gleam in their eye, asking her and Kallian both what his favourite food was, where he liked to go, and walking away disappointed when ultimately neither of the Antiquas could give them an answer. Melia knew Alvis was attractive, in fact he was downright pretty, and she could see the appeal from a subjective standpoint, but didn’t like him in _that_ way. And Kallian was...well, he was Kallian, and trying to talk to him about anything romantic was about as effective as asking a brick wall for therapy. 

Alvis just laughed lightly at Fiora’s jab, and Melia had to stop herself physically clutching her chest as a pang of... _something_ hit her.

Shulk and Kallian both looked on, similarly amused by the banter. It was the former who spoke next. “So, Melia, Kallian, uh, Alvis...how much is this going to be?” 

Back in her comfort zone, Melia flipped through her notebook to the page with “Prices!” scrawled at the top in her handwriting. She moved her hand and covered the price list in what she hoped was a subtle movement, skimming with her eyes before telling him, “It will be...uh...£45, you want the basket, yes?” At Shulk’s nod she reached blindly under the desk and found the drawer handle where they kept the cash register. Likewise, Shulk shifted and rooted through the pockets of his hoodie, pulling out a wallet and then a debit card. 

“You do take card payment, right?” Melia hummed in confirmation, tapping in the due payment on the screen, “We do.” She handed the card reader over and found herself drawn to looking at Fiora, perched next to the blond boy, and to her surprise she was looking straight back. Before she could say anything, though, the four beeps sounded and Shulk handed the reader back. She accepted it wordlessly before scribbling in her notebook. 

“I’ll get started right away, so your order should be ready in…About four hours, I’d say. I don’t expect you to hang around for that long, don’t worry.” At that, Shulk stood up, somehow still quiet, and Fiora seemed to hesitate for a moment before following.

“Thank you so much, Melia!” She trilled, “We’ll be back then! Come on, Shulk, we can go to that new café down the road!” She grabbed the other boys’ arm, and he blinked before agreeing. The two were almost at the door before Melia found her voice again. 

“Thank you, too. We’ll see you soon,” Fiora turned, smiling dazzlingly bright at her, “See you!” “Bye!” She was vaguely aware of her coworkers’ saying their goodbyes too, and then the doorbell chimed and Shulk and Fiora were gone. 

Silence fell over the shop for a minute, and although it was the usual standard it seemed quiet in comparison now. Melia busied herself with writing down a brief plan for the basket and she heard Kallian retreat into the back room. 

Another moment, before Alvis spoke up. “Melia?” 

“Hm?” _White lilies for the front, pink carnations up the sides, and-_

“You gave them £10 off, didn’t you?” _Of course he noticed. Damn._

“I did not.” 

“You did, I noticed too. Your baskets always go over fifty, it’s your thing.” 

“Kallian!” When had he even come back? “I - I have no idea what either of you are talking about. Now shoo! I need to work.” 

Two infuriatingly familiar laughs trailed out as Alvis went with her brother this time, and Melia was finally left alone with her thoughts. 

_Oh dear. I gave them a very obvious discount._

She made a quick note on her hand to do the dishes for a week in exchange for silence, before finishing up her basket draft and making her way over to the flowers; an incredibly welcome distraction from the tornado of thoughts whirling in her mind, one with Fiora’s high laugh and kind smile as the eye of the storm. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback always welcome!
> 
> I’m on twitter @melifiora! Come and talk to me about xenoblade and I will die for you.


End file.
